Cómo reaccionamos y cómo nos recuperamos CD

How We React and How We Recover, el nuevo álbum del tres veces ganador del premio Tony Jason Robert Brown. Su primera grabación en solitario en más de una década es una reflexión política y de gran alcance sobre el amor, la familia y la música.

How We React and How We Recover –en parte una respuesta a nuestro tenso clima político y en parte un retrato de un artista contemporáneo en evolución– es la interpretación definitiva de Brown de sus propias composiciones, cargada de emoción, con una amplia energía musical y un aliento sinfónico. «Crecí con Billy Joel y Joni Mitchell, pero también con Stephen Sondheim y Leonard Bernstein», reflexiona Brown. «Todas esas influencias están presentes en el trabajo. Este álbum tiene una paleta emocional y una estética musical concretas que se sitúan entre el rock 'n' roll, el jazz, el folk, el gospel y Broadway».

La canción que abre el disco, «Hope», escrita a la mañana siguiente a las fatídicas elecciones presidenciales de EE. UU. de 2016, estaba pensada para marcar el tono del álbum. «Trata de tener esperanza cuando no tienes motivos para tenerla, de intentar capturar la energía positiva de la vida en los malos momentos. Todavía me cuesta interpretarla, es una expresión muy directa de un momento emocional muy difícil». En definitivael álbum trata, como dice la propia canción "Hope", de ser una fuerza del bien "a pesar de todo lo ridículo y lo triste".

"El tiroteo en la escuela de Sandy Hook me destrozó", continúa Brown. "Mi hija tenía la misma edad que aquellos niños y me movilizó para hacer algo, lo que fuera, contra la lacra de las armas en este país. Al final, escribí 'A Song About Your Gun'. Tenía que expresar mi rabia, no solo por el asesinato de personas inocentes, sino por la fetichización de esta arma. Este objeto se ha colocado en un pedestal hasta convertirse en un símbolo de lo que se supone que debemos ser como país. Empecé a escribir esta canción para lidiar con esa rabia y ahora se ha convertido en mi principal causa social".

"All Things in Time" —la canción que da título al álbum— cierra muchos de los conciertos de Brown. Con un optimismo sereno y lúcido, la canción dice: "no podemos predecir lo que pasará, lo único que controlamos es cómo reaccionamos y cómo nos recuperamos". "Esa frase resume muy bien tanto el álbum como lo que supone vivir en esta época tan loca", explica Brown. "Aguantemos juntos. No importa si realmente me lo creo; lo que importa es que debo creerlo".

Otros momentos destacados del álbumhts include "Fifty Years Long," Jason's lyrical song originally written for a long-married couple he didn't know, but which ended up exploring not only his own marriage, but that of his parents and the very nature of relationships, and how they are affected by community, luck and hard work. "Melinda," infused with the chaos and energy of big band Latin rhythm, is about a rising salsa musician set in the melting pot of 1970s New York City.

"Hallowed Ground" – an infectiously percussive chamber pop song – was inspired by his daughter's visit to the same performing arts camp Brown attended in his formative years, and the emotions from witnessing her budding musical talent. "Being a father is the thing I had to do to keep being a writer," he reflects. "There were things I didn't know how to feel, emotions I never knew existed, or how to express them. I've already said all there was to say about myself. It's very different when you are responsible for other people and every facet of their lives."

The Grammy Award-nominated vocalist Kate McGarry lends her voice to the bittersweet bossa nova-inspired "One More Thing Than I Can Handle." Brown recalled, "I was dazzled by her technical facility and unbelievable musicality, but she really connects with the lyrics too. I am honored that she's part of the album. She's a special artist."

"Wait 'Till You See What's Next" – the album's ebullient closing track – was originally written as the finale of the Broadway musical Prince of Broadway, which honors Brown's mentor, the lauded director Hal Prince. Brown provided arrangements, orchestrations, music supervision, and co-produced the cast album for Ghostlight Records. "As an optimist, Hal genuinely believes good things are going to happen," says Brown. "His entire life and career are based on not the assumption, but the literal knowledge, that it's all going to work out exactly the way you want it to. He's always moving forward with positivity and belief in the future. This song was written to be in Hal's voice, but by singing it on the album, I started to find that quality in myself. The world is rough right now, but wait until you see what's next. Let's celebrate what's coming up."

How We React and How We Recover is produced by Jason Robert Brown and Jeffery Lesser. Stacey Mindich and Kurt Deutsch serve as executive producers.

Brown alsois represented on Ghostlight Records with his debut solo album – Wearing Someone Else's Clothes – in addition to The Last Five Years (2002 Original Off-Broadway cast album, 2013 Revival Off-Broadway cast album, and 2015 Motion Picture Soundtrack), and the Original Broadway Cast Albums of 13 and The Bridges of Madison County.